


The Mad Ones

by MyNameIsRochelleRae



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Mystery Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Build, Slow To Update, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-05-28 19:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6341515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyNameIsRochelleRae/pseuds/MyNameIsRochelleRae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vampires and humans are starting to get along. Humans still fear the sharp canines and vampires fear the burning silver in guns but they stopped fighting each other in favour of peace. </p><p>That is, until The Mad King comes back. </p><p>Now people are dying by the dozens and there is no way to stop the slaughter, or so they say. </p><p>Ray Narvaez Jr. is the son of a famous vampire hunter and he is ready to help stop The Mad King. <br/>First, he has to solve the issue of being in a relationship with a vampire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Return of The Mad King

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I started a new series. I loved the idea of setting it in a world with vampires.   
> Hopefully, this idea will grow into something good cause I'm just fumbling in the dark with this for now. 
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading it.  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticisms about the story for me.

Ray Narvaez Jr. stared at the open book on the table. Introduction to Vampire History. A compulsory module for all students. The idle chatter of the classmates around him was white noise as he collected his thoughts. It was the first day of college. Ray thought about the huge fight he had with his father about attending college.

His adoptive father, Geoff Lazer Ramsey was one of the world’s most renowned vampire hunters. Although vampires were just introduced into society, they have been around for centuries. For as long as vampires have been in existence, there were those that hunted the creatures of the night. Ray’s father, Geoff wanted Ray to take on the mantle of being the world’s best vampire hunter. Natural to assume so. It was not as if Ray did not think about it, it was just that killing may not be his niche talent. He chuckled to himself as he touched his wrists, imagining himself killing a vampire with a wooden stake right through the heart.

 

The professor, Burnie Burns walked into the room and cleared his throat loudly. He looked like the type of teacher who just wanted his job to be done and be out of the school as soon as he could. The students did not care, as long as they get their good results, it should not matter right?

“As you are all aware, vampires have just been integrated into our society. It is thus, important that we learn all about them so that there is no animosity between the human race and the vampire race,” Burnie started his lecture without even introducing himself. Ray only knew because he did research on the school and the teachers.

It was interesting observing how the human race reacted to the news that vampires are real. There were camps that accepted the vampires with open arms. Other groups wanted to eradicate all vampires from the face of existence. Ray did not belong on either side.

With a father who absolutely hated vampires, Ray was well versed on that side of the argument. He even had some idea on how to dispatch a vampire or two. However, putting himself in their shoes, Ray could see the pitfalls of having their existence realised by humans. As long as he was not the one caught in the crossfire, he would not associate himself with either side.

“Who was the very first vampire in existence?” Burnie asked. A few hands shot up in the air. Would they think that Vlad Tepes was the first vampire? He certainly was one of the most famous ones, Ray pondered.

“You there, son of the famous vampire hunter, how about you give us the answer?” Burnie singled him out. Ray tried to avoid meeting the eyes of the people who were staring at him. If people did not know him before, they sure as hell knew him now. Son of the famous vampire hunter huh? Now there was pressure on him even on the first day of school.

“Well, the first vampire has not been identified. Although many speculate that Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula was the first vampire-“ Ray swallowed his fear before shakily responding to the question. He was interrupted before he could complete his answer.

“There has been speculation that the very first traces of vampires came from Egypt where sorcery was used in summoning demons from other worlds that had similar descriptions compared to modern day vampires. Of course, the very first vampire cannot be proven since there are many folklores about vampires ranging from different times from every culture in the world,” A deep arousing male voice answered from out the door. In walks a man who looked like a god. Dark blonde hair fell perfectly on his chiselled face. Striking blue eyes met Ray’s own dark brown. Ray looked down immediately. It did not make sense, though, this mystery man should not have been able to answer the question, and he did not even hear the question. It was not Ray’s main concern at that moment, however.

“Sorry for coming in late, I got lost, the campus is huge,” The man did a quick scan of the room and identified that the empty seat next to Ray was the only seat available to him.

“As we were discussing, it is true that the very first vampire cannot be identified but we will first be learning about how to identify a vampire before learning more about the evolution of vampires and how we discovered them,” Burnie ignored the student who walked in and continued his lecture. Whispers started up like wildfire after the mysterious student walked in.

 

At this point, Ray stopped paying attention to the lecture and instead focused on the mystery man next to him. Ray stared at the person sitting beside him from the corner of his eye. It was troubling him that he found the man with the nice cologne sitting next to him hot. What was even more troubling was that as he glanced at the man, he caught a splash of red on the corner of his deliciously pink lips before his tongue swipes at the spot.

It set his mind racing. The red spot, was it blood? It could not have been food; the spot was simply too thin. The man was not even eating anything as he walked in. The man looked too immaculate to be a vampire who just finished feeding. On occasional times, Geoff brought his son to watch him kill vampires; they would be lured in with blood before Geoff mercilessly kills them. After feeding on the blood, they would look like predators after devouring their prey. Messy and bloody. Besides, the vampire would smell like blood after feeding, not the sweet cologne scent wafting from the man.

 _Breathe Ray. That man sitting next to you is not a vampire. Not that it matters._ Ray tried to calm his pounding heart. _It does matter. As the son of a famous vampire hunter, vampires would want to take him out. What better way than to start with me, his son._

“Hi there, since it looks like I will be sitting here for the rest of this module, I thought I should introduce myself. I’m Ryan Haywood,” Ryan turned to the panicking Ray. Ray bottled the thoughts he was having and shook Ryan’s hand. His hand was warm.

“Hi, my name is Ray,” The panic in his voice was replaced with relief. Perhaps Ray was wrong about Ryan. It was just his overthinking mind at work.

“Ray Narvaez Jr. The vampire hunter’s son. Everyone knows you.” A gust of wind blew in from the window behind Ryan. Ray caught the sickly sweet and metallic scent of blood. His eyes widened as he shut his mouth immediately. 

As if to further cause alarm, there was a bloodcurdling shriek coming from the hallway outside. Despite Burnie’s efforts to keep the class inside, the class raced out of the doors to look at what was going on. Ray found himself following the crowd. Curiosity getting the better of him. There were gasps and, even more, screaming.

 

In the middle of the hallway, there laid a woman with her brown hair spread around her like an angel. It would seem as if she had fainted, but the blood puddle beneath her said otherwise. Her clothes were a bloody mess, torn apart and soaking with her own blood. Her exposed skin displayed multiple bite marks. The puncture wounds left behind by vampires.

Written on the walls in dripping, relatively fresh blood was “The Mad King is Here.” Ray felt his stomach turn and as many others who had witnessed the scene, he fell to his knees. Not because of the fright brought upon by viewing the mauled body of a woman on the floor. It was because there was a student who fell victim to a vampire attack in a highly protected all human school. As teachers cleared out the students and called for help, Ray looked up. The mysterious man he met in class, Ryan Haywood, walked away but turned around to catch Ray’s eye. He grinned, showing absurdly sharp canines. With a wink, he turned away and walked off. Ryan’s strides were long and fast, and soon he caught up to a lady with flowing dark locks. She turned around and looked at Ray with haunting eyes. They disappeared into the crowd.

_Is Ryan Haywood the Mad King? Who was that lady?_

An involuntary shiver ran down his spine. There was something so haunting about the lady like he saw a ghost of the past. Ray swore he had seen her from somewhere before. Taking a deep breath, he stood up. He did not need other students to think that he was weak, that his father was weak. It was time to find out who the Mad King is.


	2. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faint tendrils of doubt wrapped around my mind telling me that these were all sweet lies.  
> Faint whispers told me that everything will be fine.
> 
> Which do I believe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will all make sense in time. I think. Like I said, I am making all this up as I go. 
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticisms about the story for me.

“Dad, who is the Mad King?” Ray asked, watching his on edge father pacing around the dining room. The smell of strong alcohol permeated throughout the room, Ray scrunched his nose in disgust. He hated alcohol. Griffon Ramsey patted Ray’s shoulder and threw him a look of pity.

“There were rumours of the Mad King. A dangerous vampire. I did not think that…” Geoff paused. He seemed to ponder as he looked at his cup of whiskey. Chugging it down, he refilled the cup.

“Did not think what?” Ray stopped eating his dinner, setting his silverware down.

“The rumour of the Mad King has been circulating for decades now, centuries even. It would die down and then spring back up again. Hunters across the years called the space between appearances, “murder breaks”,” Geoff stopped to take another drink. Ray worried that his dad drank too much. “His appearance would start like this, with a sign that he is back. After which, a complete massacre occurs. Hundreds die every single time the Mad King reappears.”

“The Mad King…” Ray whispered to himself. Flashes of Ryan Haywood grinning at Ray with his sharp canines made him shudder.

“Many vampire hunters have claimed to have defeated the Mad King. Evidently, they lied. I suppose this gives me a great chance to solidify my name as the best vampire hunter; our name,” Geoff stored the bottle back in the cabinet and walked back to his workroom.

“Do not do anything silly okay Geoff?” Griffon said as she cleaned up the dining room table.

 _Just how dangerous can he be?_ Ray thought. Pulling out the smartphone from his pocket, searching for more information about the man, the myth and the monster.

Ray regretted that decision.

 

* * *

 

­­­­­­

 

With his major being English Literature, Ray was not surprised to see the same faces in his lectures. The arts held no place in the economy even when the vampires have. What surprised him was to see Ryan Haywood. The image of the impossibly good-looking Ryan flashing his fangs right after the discovery of a victim of a vampire attack scarred Ray’s mind.

 _Is Ryan Haywood really a vampire? How did he enter this school; they have very strict checks, even going so far as to check blood samples._ Ray thought to himself. _I need to know. Even if it kills me. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back right?_

Ray quickly snagged the seat next to Ryan despite the fear that gripped at his heart. Ray knew how dangerous vampires could be, and if what his father said were true, there was good reason to be afraid. Even a seasoned vampire hunter trembled at the very mention of that moniker. If Ryan were to be the Mad King, Ray would be in mortal danger. Although he felt every level of fear, there was this attraction towards Ryan. It was as if Ryan was calling to his very soul.

“Hey there,” Ray tried to catch Ryan’s attention, immediately hoping that Ryan did not catch his voice breaking in fear.

“Hi, Ray. Fancy you being in English Literature. Not something I would expect the son of a vampire hunter to study,” Ryan smiled, showing his teeth. His perfectly normal, straight teeth. _What?_ Ray tried to remember not to stare too hard, but Ryan’s teeth were straight and blunt. Not the sharp fangs they were yesterday.

“Well, no one expects that right?” Ray shrugged and told himself to calm down. _As I said, maybe I was just wrong about what I saw. I did see a dead body; it does weird things to your brain._

Ryan shrugged nonchalantly. Ray had to find the underlying cause of the mystery about Ryan Haywood. He needed to know if Ryan was a vampire. He did not know why he cared so much to find out. Maybe it was the fact that his father was a vampire hunter, and being around his father for so long, he just had the feel of it. Maybe it was the fact that there was an indescribable pull towards the man who sat next to him. Ray touched his wrist and tried to start up a conversation but was stopped as the professor for the class walked in.

Ray jotted down notes about post-colonial literature as much as he stared at Ryan. There was something just so beautiful about the man, yet so intimidating. As if, his aura was to draw someone in and then kill them in cold blood. Ray forced himself to look away.

 

Ray walked to his next class alone, noting that Ryan was stopped by a few of the sports clubs members on campus. It made sense; Ryan looked strong without looking like he tried too hard. Sitting alone again in the classroom, two boys bounded up to him.

“You are the son of Geoff Lazer Ramsey! We are huge fans of him, we want to become just like him,” A redhead with a thick Jersey accent babbled excitedly while gesturing with his hands. It was weird to hear such a thick Jersey accent in Texas. A slightly lankier man with shaggy brown hair stood behind the redhead and nodded enthusiastically.

“Thanks, I guess, just train hard,” Ray was used to this type of fanfare from people who idolised his father. It was irritating at first, now; he would not let himself be bothered by it. These people mean no harm anyway.

“Are we bothering you? Sorry, we did not mean to come off as rude. I am Gavin Free, this is Michael Jones,” A heavy, yet pleasant British accent came from the person who just introduced himself as Gavin Free. It was even more surprising to hear a British accent in Texas. Then again, it was a different time.

“Class is about to start, so maybe we can talk after class?” Ray just wanted to be alone, collect his thoughts. He was always a lone wolf. Memories of being kicked in an alleyway played behind his eyelids. He quickly forced his eyes open and shook his head.  _It is all in the past._

As he opened his eyes, he felt a presence sit next to him. He quickly turned to see who it was. Ryan Haywood.

“Fanboys huh?” Ryan joked, pulling out his laptop from his bag.

“Well, my father is a great role model. Me, however, not so much. Just a regular old person sitting right here,” Ray always seemed to use self-depreciating humour to mask his emotions.

“You are not average, Ray. You are perfect,” Ryan stroked Ray’s cheek with his fingers. Ray leaned into the warm touch then pulled himself away quickly when he realised what was happening. He rubbed his scars.

 _Did that really happen?_ Ray asked himself, stunned.

They said nothing else for the whole lesson. There was just something so off about the whole situation. What was even more off was that Ray did not hate it.

 

“Would you care to join me for lunch?” Ryan asked as Ray was packing his notes away. Ray wondered if he really was going to eat. Vampires could not consume human food. Their biology did not allow the digestion of human food, only the absorption of blood. Ray still harboured the thought that Ryan was a vampire. He had to know, though.

“Sure,” Ray shrugged, slinging his bag pack on his shoulder.

“So, why did you decide to go to college? It would make sense that you follow your father's footsteps,” Ryan asked as they walked to the cafeteria.

“Are we playing 20 questions now?” Ray looked at the food provided; it looked disgusting. Ray did not like leaving the campus so he decided to stick it out and consume the less than average food from the cafeteria.

“Why not?” Ryan laughed, taking a slice of pizza and loading it on his plate.

“Well, I guess I just did not want to kill. I think that even vampires should have a chance to live,” Ray sneaked a glance at Ryan. The corner of Ryan’s lips lifted just the slightest bit. “My turn to ask. Are you a vampire?”

“What an accusation Ray,” Ryan laughed as they walked to find a seat.

“Not an answer. Outside?” Ray wanted to test Ryan even further and the sun was high in the sky, unblocked by clouds.

“You really think I am a vampire then?” Ryan’s tone of voice became serious. Ray nodded, starting to feel a wave of fear. “How about I eat this slice of pizza?”

Ray watched the man devour the pizza, chewing and swallowed the bite that he took.

“The standards sure could be higher huh?” Ryan scrunched his face up in an overly exaggerated way and laughed as he held up the slice of pepperoni pizza.

Ray said nothing. He was thinking.

“Still not convinced?” Ryan asked again, this time, his tone was slightly more annoyed now. He took another huge bite. The pizza was almost done. This time, he chewed faster and swallowed it down even quicker.

Ray said nothing. He was thinking. The atmosphere changed.

“Really?” Ryan asked, finally frustrated. He dropped the last of the pizza into his mouth. It almost looked like he did not bother to chew this time and just swallowed. It might have been too big a piece and got stuck in his throat. With great difficulty, he swallowed it down. His face was turning a slight shade of red.

Ray said nothing. He was thinking. The atmosphere changed. Something was at the tip of his tongue.

“Well, fuck you,” Ryan spat out, voice hoarse. He rubbed his throat gently. Maybe he really did swallow too huge of a piece of pizza. “That hurt. It also tasted like cardboard.”

Ray finally responded. The giggle that was at the tip of his tongue grew as Ryan continued to finish the pathetic excuse for a pizza. He belted out laughing, nearly dropping his food on the ground as he leaned forward chuckling.

Ray kept laughing at how ridiculous the entire exchange was. Poor Ryan Haywood was accused of being a vampire by an overly paranoid son of a vampire hunter and swallowed what was essentially cardboard to prove a point. Ryan joined in. He laughed too. They were both aware of how stupid the whole thing was.

With his free hand, Ray wrapped his arm around his aching stomach. He laughed too hard. Ryan too, he laughed ‘till his face turned beet red.

It was so silly. The accusation. The wolfing down of the cardboard pizza. Everything was so silly.

“Truce?” Ryan asked, still getting over his laughing fit.

“Truce,” Ray giggled.

 

Something nagged at him in the back of his mind. Ray laughed along with Ryan but there was just something wrong. The more he thought about it, though, the more it seemed like it did not matter.

 _Why care so much about whether he is a vampire or not? He has not killed anyone yet, right?_ Ray thought to himself, trying to shrug it off. The sudden flash of the dead girl in the hallway dashed the thought. It seemed wrong, though; the girl looked less mauled than he remembered. She really looked like an angel. _Well, even if he has killed before, as long as he is not The Mad King it should be fine right?_

_Being so suspicious of someone would either lead two ways, Ray: You offend them because they turn out to be completely innocent of your judgement or you find out they are the monster you make them out to be. Then what though Ray? You only know how to subdue a vampire, never learnt anything more. It would be better off if I just stopped caring so much._

There was still something about the entire thing that nagged at him in the back of his mind. Ray could almost hear whispers telling him not to care about it. He followed the whispers and ignored it all.

Ryan spent a long time in the bathroom before returning to the next class, his face was ashen. Ray wondered why. Then he stopped wondering at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am dreading work and school and I am totally using writing as a distraction. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticisms for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	3. Mind Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time to find out the truth, or at least, try to get closer to unravelling the secret.   
> Am I really sure that what I am seeing is the truth or am I being played as the fool?   
> Why are there so many things that I do not know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! My friend pointed out a glaring fault in my original draft that had me rewriting the entire story, can you believe that? And with that, I had to come up with a drastically different story than before. This time, I hope it will be better!
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

Ray thought about Ryan again as he walked home. The image was wrong. Ryan was painted as almost a best friend in his mind, for pitying him and telling him, he was perfect. Even the lunch scene seemed like a normal exchange between friends. _What about The Mad King incident?_ The thought went away immediately.

Ray continued walking, not seeing Ryan in sight anymore, along the empty road back home. As he continued walking, the whispers slowly went away. Ray almost did not notice it. Until he started thinking about The Mad King again, then suddenly his mind was on fire with questions and doubts. _That felt odd_ , Ray thought. It was as if a block lifted and the questioned piled on.

 

“Dad!” Ray screamed as he opened the door, startling Griffon who was sat on the couch watching television. She must have finished early. The cool thing about Griffon was that she sold chainsaw woodcarvings as a job.

“Hi sweetie, your dad is in his office,” Griffon explained to the anxious teen. Ray sprinted to Geoff’s office.

“Ray, what are you doing here?” Geoff set down the newspapers he was reading. The headlines were alarming. **Mad King attacks continue.** The situation was becoming more and more serious.

“What do you know about Ryan Haywood?” Ray sat down opposite of his dad. Geoff looked up in confusion. He started searching his laptop for information.

“It states here that James Ryan Haywood is the son of a businessman in Georgia. Decent business, doing quite well. Sent him to the University of Texas alone,” Geoff scrolled through the information, stating the basic information.

“So nothing out of the ordinary?” Ray questioned, but if there were anything wrong, Geoff would flag it. Things like blood type or lack thereof would definitely be warrant attention.

“Why would you ask?” Geoff looked up at his son, clearly showing concern.

“Nothing,” Ray shrugged. It would almost be too easy to change information if you knew how to anyway, Ray thought. “Say, could you teach me basic skills to ward off a vampire?”

“I thought you would never ask,” Geoff quickly stood up from his chair, excitedly opening a wood chest at the back of the office. He pulled out an assortment of weapons, crosses and bottles.

“I have not agreed yet, but it is better if I learnt. You did say that The Mad King is very dangerous. I should, at least, learn how to give myself seconds to run if I ever fight him,” Ray picked up a bottle that Geoff set on the floor next to him. Holy water. He pocketed it.

“Outside then. I will teach you outside,” Geoff always hoped that Ray would follow in his footsteps but did admit that he thought Ray might not be the best pick for a job like this. He still dreamed about it anyway and Ray knew.

They stood up and turned around, ready to leave the room. On Geoff’s table were picture frames of the family. Geoff and Griffon smiling on their wedding day. A family photo of Geoff, Griffon, and Ray at the beach. Except, there was a photo that did not seem to belong.

The two people in the picture, they were not Geoff and Griffon. They looked of a different race. They had tanned skin, like his own. Smiling happily while looking at the baby in their arms.  Something about the lady in the picture looked like the lady at the school with the haunting eyes.

“Geoff, who are these people? Why do you have a picture of them on your desk?” Ray asked, almost not expecting the answer.

“… These were your parents.” There was a short pause. Geoff looked at Ray, a look of almost dismay in his eyes.

Ray said nothing. There was nothing to say. Ray used to resent his parents, thinking that they abandoned him. Now he thought about, perhaps it was because they could not afford to have children and it was better off that they gave him away. He was old enough now not to be bothered thinking about a life he will never have with his parents. He never asked any questions or cared to know the truth.

“Wait, are you not interested?” Geoff set the weapons on the floor.

“Interested in what? The parents who cared nothing for me?” Ray continued walking but Geoff stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. There was no need to know anything now.

“It was not like that Ray. They cared a lot,” Geoff started. “Back then, there was a war between the humans and vampires. Years back, the war that scarred me and eventually brought a truce between the humans and vampires.”

Ray did not want to hear any of it. He started to grow angry. Nothing about the story would change his mind about that but he stood still and let his father talk. He would be lying if he said he was not interested in knowing.

“We fought very hard even when the vampires decimated whole towns. There were very few survivors. It was brutal. Blood and dead bodies everywhere, the vampires were only getting stronger too,” Geoff said, swallowing hard. He rubbed his arm. There were many scars on that arm, bite marks and cuts alike. “One night while scouting for survivors, a hand from the rubble grabbed at my leg. It was a woman. She was bit multiple times; she was dying. Her throat was almost fully ripped off. Her words were garbled and she was drooling blood as she spoke. I helped pushed the rubble off her. She was holding on to you. Told me to keep you safe.”

Ray felt tears roll down his cheeks. He turned around and hugged Geoff.

“In the dirty blanket that you were wrapped in was a family picture of your family. I knew you were angry with them and I did not want to say anything unless you asked but you should know. They fought for you too,” Geoff patted Ray’s head as Ray cried.

“Listen, kid, maybe we do this tomorrow instead?” Geoff asked Ray. He felt like Ray needed time to take in all the information.

“No, train me now. So that this does not happen again. The Mad King will go down,” there was not angry in Ray’s voice. It was determination.

 

* * *

 

 

It was quickly discovered that Ray was not good at handling weapons. He refused to use the guns. Too violent he thought. There were too many stories of people accidentally shooting themselves for Ray to feel like he would be great having a gun on him. The silver in the gun was great at inflicting damage, though, Geoff explained. Ray insisted that he would not rather hold on to guns.

“I cannot even fit these things in my bag!” Ray was holding on to a sturdy crossbow with a silver tip. _These are overkill too_ , Ray thought to himself as he handed it back to Geoff. Geoff laughed at the entire display. It was supposed to be training but Ray’s apparent pacifist nature almost made it impossible. The one thing that Ray did take was the stake.

“You have got to be joking, dad,” Ray lifted up a wooden stake with a silver tip. “I would not even have the strength to stab someone with this.”

“Well, if it helps, you can stab their squishier bits to stop them for a while. The silver would burn them long enough to give you those seconds to run away,” Geoff patted Rays back as he chuckled.

“I guess this would work. I am not going to drive a stake in anyone’s heart, though,” Ray held on to the stake, eyeing it carefully.

“No one asked you to kid,” Geoff led them back inside.

The whole issue about Ryan Haywood was at the back of Ray’s mind as he looked at the picture of his family on Geoff’s table.

 

* * *

 

 

Ray sat at the back of the class quietly, alone. Ryan did not come sit next to him this time. He watched as Ryan started interacting with the boys who came up to him that one time. Michael and Gavin was it? They laughed at something Ryan said and stared at him with intent eyes. Seems like he was not the only one who was staring.

There were no whispers on the edges of his mind this time, much to Ray’s relief. It was as if what happened yesterday was all just in his mind. The question still remained, is Ryan a vampire? Is Ryan the Mad King?

Ray looked back at Ryan who was still talking to Michael and Gavin. Ryan turned and winked at Ray. He quickly looked away, embarrassed that he was caught staring.

 

“Hey, caught you staring,” Ryan laughed as he walked over to Ray. “Jealous?”

“Not a chance,” Ray lightly punched Ryan’s arm. He could not lie that he wanted Ryan to be around. It was a weird feeling.

“Fine then Ray, I will see you around?” Ryan smiled mysteriously as he walked out of class. It did not even feel like class happened. Ray felt the express need to follow him. He stood up and trailed behind.

 

The edges of the university were lines of trees. Ray stared as Ryan waited around the trees alone. Peeking around one of the trees he was hiding behind, he watched, just unable to stay away. He shook his head at what he was doing. Unlocking his phone, he let out a small sigh of relief seeing as how he had thirty minutes before the next class started. He peeked around again.

Ryan Haywood was no longer alone. The mystery lady on the first day of school was with him. They were talking to each other. Ray took a closer look at them.

The mystery lady looked exactly the same as in the photo of his family. Long flowing dark locks with haunting eyes. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to stop the gasp from escaping. The white dress she was wearing was torn and bloody. Fresh blood. It was still dripping off the fabric. He hid behind the tree again.

_Why was Ryan talking to a lady who looked like hell? Why did the lady look like his mom? What was even happening?_

Ray took a deep breath and peeked out to look again. This time, the lady was gone, there was no trace that she was ever there talking to him. Ryan was leaning against a tree, reading a book. Ryan looked up from his book, looked directly at Ray, and winked. Ray hid behind the tree again, questions burning in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this minutes before having to leave for my viola classes, learning Game of Thrones now! 
> 
> Anyway, this was fun to write. I hope you guys can support me and this story!
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticism for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	4. Power of Persuasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was it persuasion or plain hypnotism? It was really hard to tell the difference between the voices and his own thoughts. The voices became his thoughts. 
> 
> The mystery no longer mattered, it was all about the subject now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struggling with the chapter for a while and in the end, I have changed it drastically from the original draft. It took me a lot longer for me to complete this chapter but hopefully the change made it a better read.
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

Throughout the day, Ray could not focus on classes. His notepad was filled with notes, scribbled by him but he took in nothing. The questions burned in his mind. He needed to know the truth about Ryan.

Ray decided that if his father could not help him, he would find the truth out himself. Feeling his bag for the bulge of the holy water, he let out a small sigh of relief. If it went south, at least he had some sort of protection. Diving into the unknown, Ray decided to find the truth. Ray harboured a sneaking suspicion that this was exactly what Ryan wanted. He shuddered when he saw Ryan wink at him after being caught.

 

It was easy to say that someone was suspicious. Even easier to push blame onto them. Then the difficult part of trying to find out if the accusations are true comes and then it becomes a true mystery to unravel. Ray felt like he was unravelling the greatest puzzle so far. How could someone who looked to normal, attractive even, be such a mystery?

Ray quickly snagged a seat next to Ryan.

“Hey,” Ray steeled himself, ready to confront Ryan about what he saw earlier. “I saw you just now at the edge of the university.”

“I know. Told you I would see you around right?” Ryan chuckled as he opened his books.

“There was a lady with you,” Ray questioned the nonchalant Ryan.

“Pretty sure I was alone Ray, I was reading,” Ryan threw Ray a puzzled look. The whispers came back, telling Ray that that was the truth.

“Reading huh?” Ray second guessed what he saw.

“Jealous that I was not with you and started imaging things, Ray?” Ryan flirted. The attraction that he felt was both alarming and yet felt natural. Almost as if he were duped into feelings these things. _There is just something about him. I cannot stay away._

“Hah,” Ray scoffed, but the breath caught in his throat as the light perfectly glowed around Ryan. _There is just really something about him. I need him._ “What were you reading?”

“Macbeth. Something about the brutality in it just draws me in,” Ryan’s lips curled into a sly smile. Ray shuddered in response. Something so menacing in the way he spoke, something so wrong. Ray turned away, affected by the words and the delivery. By the man, or not, sitting beside him.

 

“Say, what do you like about English?” Ryan suddenly turned towards Ray in the middle of the lecture. The lecture was on creative writing across different genres. They were focusing on mystery, setting the stage for a puzzle to be solved.

“The intricacies, the difficulty, how flexible yet rule driven it is. Everything about English is interesting, challenging,” Ray scribbled on his notepad as he sneaked a look at Ryan. Ryan looked as if he was examining Ray, taking in what he was saying.

“Perhaps it could be too difficult to understand, so much further reaching than what you know? English is too complex,” Ryan answered slowly as if he was choosing his words carefully.

“That is why I am here learning about it in college. I want to know more, unravel all of the hidden meaning,” Ray answered truthfully. It seemed that the conversation was no longer about the English language. It was as if they were talking about another mystery, the one that surrounded Ryan Haywood.

“Maybe it is better if you did not know that much, though, sticking with the knowledge you already have?” the words were almost a low growl. Ray turned to look at Ryan. Eyes glowed red.

Ray’s heart raced, throat parched. Fear coursed thick through his veins.

“Forget everything you saw today,” A throaty growl shook Ray’s very core. It echoed in his head, in fact, Ray was sure that Ryan did not actually speak.

The fear culminated in a piercing headache. His chest tightened and all the air left his body. Heavy limbs and fear-laced brain, Ray closed his eyes and felt his body hit the table top hard.

 

A cold towel touched as feverish skin. He opened his eyes; Ryan’s striking blue eyes were staring right into his. A sharp piercing pain made him clench his fists hard. Ray wondered why. Whispers said it was fine. _It is fine._

“Are you alright Ray?” Ryan asked voice soft.

“What happened? My head hurts,” Ray croaked, rubbing at his temples.

“You just suddenly went down in the middle of class; hit your head against the table hard. We were in the middle of a conversation too, do you remember that?” Ryan’s face was plastered with concern. Bits and pieces of memories tried to fit themselves back together but it did not work, it was all a jumble. He shook his head lightly, careful not to aggravate the headache he was experiencing.

“Do you want to go home?” Ryan asked as Ray sat up. No, the voices said; Ray listened to the voices.

“No,” Ray echoed his thoughts, or was it the voices?

“The next class should be starting soon,” feet held him up steady and Ray figured that what happened was probably nothing. Or so the voices suggested he think that way.

 

“Hey, are you really alright?” Ryan whispered in the middle of the next class. It was another compulsory class about vampires. Burnie Burns talked about the vampire biology and how it differs from humans.

“Yeah, sure. I was thinking about what video game to play when I get back home,” Ray brushed it off. It was probably just nothing. Not that he could remember anything at all.

“Oh, you like video games too?” Ryan asked; blue eyes lit up with excitement like a child.

“GTA is fun, wrecking shit and getting hit.” Ray laughed as he pulled out some biscuits from his bag and offered Ryan some.

“Do you like Call of Duty then?” Ryan smiled and shook his head.

“Like a moth attracted to the flame.” Ray thought about how many hours he sunk playing the game.

Between trying to focus on the last class of the day and maintaining a conversation with Ryan, he was failing spectacularly at the former. More than just convinced that Ryan is not a vampire, Ray decided that Ryan was cool. They both liked gaming and were good at technology. Then Ray heard the lecturer, Burnie, talk briefly about how some vampires that had powers beyond that of normal vampirism.

“As far as we know, vampires are immortals unless tremendous trauma is applied, like decapitation. Something in their blood quickens the speed at which they heal, human scientists and researchers still cannot tell much about vampires and their biology. The vampires are not inclined to tell us their secrets either,” Burnie paused. Ray chuckled, it was almost as if it were magic but he stopped to listen to Burnie, “What we do know is that there are some vampires that have been documented to have other powers; powers like mind control, telekinesis, and other strange powers.”

Ray internalised what he just heard. Some vampires might have other powers, like mind control. He threw a hard glance at Ryan who was looking straight ahead. No, the whispers called out. _No? Maybe?_ Ray was confused.

The class ended quickly after that, Ray looked through his notes and made a mental note to himself to review the lesson at home. He was too engrossed talking to Ryan.

“Hey, you want to come over to my apartment? We can play Call of Duty.” Ryan offered as they walked out of the classroom.

Not wanting to go home immediately, Ray obliged. He did not want to admit to himself, but he wanted to spend more time with the blonde. Was attracted to him even. He would never admit that of course.

 _I like him. I actually like him. Shit._ Ray started to panic. _Or is it the whispers? I cannot tell the difference between the two now._

 

As the day progressed, the whispers grew more intense in his head. They felt foreign and controlling. It was all a sort of persuasion to get him to relent his control. They were winning.

Ray started to see Ryan more favourably. No doubt it was the whispers, but was it so bad? Was it really that bad to stop being so worried about the mystery and become more interested in the subject? Ray continued talking to Ryan. Partially because the whispers persuaded him to, and partially because it was just so easy to talk to him.

Ray completely forgot what he was even trying to do, find out if Ryan was really a vampire.

 

 

Ray marvelled at how big the apartment was. As if Ryan knew what he was thinking, he spoke about it.

“My parents are rich. They gave me money to buy an apartment as a birthday and college going away gift.” Ryan dropped his bag on the floor by the couch. Ray did the same, but with more care. He did remember Geoff tell him as much. “Feel free to look around; I will be in the kitchen fetching you a drink. Would you like food as well?”

“A sprite would be good, maybe some Doritos if you have any,” Ray walked around the house. It was very open with high ceilings. There was a huge painting hanging on the wall at the stairs. It was peculiar. In the painting, Ryan was clad in Victorian ages clothing, sitting on a throne lazily, and looking dead on ahead. His eyes were hard, betraying the casual look he was going for. A crown sat haphazardly on his head, looking as if it were going to fall off. There was a weird smile on his face, a mix of violence and pride. The painting was really peculiar. To top it all off, the painting was oil based, rare to see oil based portraits done like that nowadays.

Ray raised his hand hesitantly to the painting, feeling the texture. Memories flooded. They were not his memories, though.

Red eyes flashed right in front of his in the memories. Then there was blood and dead bodies everywhere. Blood dripped on his hand from his mouth, he was not bleeding in the memory, and it was the blood of another. The body that lay on the ground under his feet had puncture wounds on its neck.

Ray blinked and he was staring at the painting. That was not his own memory. He gasped. Forget, the whispers called out. _No_ , the memory seared itself onto his brain.

“Oh, I see you have seen the joke painting,” Ryan stood beside Ray as they stared at the painting.

“Why?” Ray tried to compose himself from the memories he witnessed.

“I was a part of theatre in high school, I played the part of Macbeth,” Ryan laughed, pointing his chin at the portrait.

“Does not explain the huge ass painting of you hanging in your house,” Ray burst out laughing. The painting really looked so peculiar yet funny.

“I joked about having my portrait as Macbeth painted as an 18th birthday present, my parents actually did it. As a laugh, I decided to keep it,” A smooth explanation, no one would be able to tell if he were bluffing or not. “Are we going to stand here and stare at this weird painting or are we going to play?”

Ray descended the stairs and plopped himself down into the sofa.

In the middle of the game, just as he killed another enemy, a moment of clarity hit him like a tonne of bricks.

_What on earth am I doing here alone with Ryan Haywood? I thought that he was a vampire and I wanted to find out. What am I doing here playing video games with him?_

The controller clattered on the ground. Ryan paused the game. Ray looked up and stared at Ryan. The whispers were at the edges of his mind being pushed back by his own power. They could not persuade him to ignore this for at least that moment. They locked eyes; it was a moment of stalemate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just got a notification that let me know that I was inducted into my school's Director Roll of Honour while writing this chapter. It was a real shock to me. To be able to get inducted, you need to be the top 10% of the cohort. 
> 
> I also got an anon message on Tumblr of someone telling me that they really liked this story. Shout out to you anon, why are you on anon? Talk to me, please! I would love to talk to you! Also, my tumblr is @fandomtearsandfeels
> 
> I got motivated to write because of these lovely things that happened!
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticism for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	5. Desires And Satisfaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like prey cowering from fear, like prey attracted to the predator, like prey succumbing to the predator's wish. 
> 
> Like predator drawing the prey in, like the predator going in for the kill, like predator winning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit short so forgive me for it. I do think that this chapter is a good chapter that shows the new relationship between Ray and Ryan. 
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

The tension reached it's boiling point, almost palpable. The game was on the game over screen, its music playing. It was drowned out by the pounding of his heart. Fear laced his veins as Ray watched Ryan move towards him. Like a predator coming in for the kill. The whispers stopped completely, Ray was alone with his own thoughts and he was terrified that Ryan would kill him right there. He could hear his heart racing.

A strong hand wrapped around Ray's neck, the other lightly caressed his cheek. Ray breathed out hard and forced his eyes closed. _This is how I die, by the hand of a killer, a vampire._

Soft lips touched his own. Ray's eyes flew open. Ryan's striking blue eyes were right in front of him. They looked like the sea during a storm, angry and destructive. They almost shifted to a dark, muddy blue in front of his eyes.  

"You ask so many questions, Ray, so many," Ryan's voice was a soft whisper but Ray could hear the steel in his voice. Ray was not even sure if he really spoke out loud or it was in his head.

"I need to know," Ray croaked, the hand around his throat tightened slightly.

"You will know in time, understand in time. For now, embrace madness," Ryan let go of his neck and kissed Ray hard. Ray moaned into Ryan’s mouth. The kiss left Ray wanting more.

"Follow," Ryan stood up and walked up the stairs, leaving Ray dazed and confused. He stood up too quickly and saw stars. Clumsily walking up the stairs, he felt beyond confused. There were no voices asking him to follow, it was his own curiosity and body asking him to follow.

 

The hallway was dark and only one door was open, he walked in. Ryan was standing at the foot of his bed. He almost could not breathe, but his body responded. He moved closer to Ryan. Ryan, in turn, pushed him into the bed. He landed on the soft bed. The bed shifted as Ryan crawled above Ray. Red spread across Ray's face and neck.

Before Ray could turn away, Ryan lifted the shirt and removed it. His body was defined. The lines of a six-pack on his abs and muscles on his arms were just right. Just right for Ray. Without even realising, he reached out and touched Ryan’s bare skin. They locked eyes. This time, there was sexual tension.

Ryan pulled Ray closer, his breath hot on Ray’s tongue. Ray thought about the last kiss he had, it was ages ago. He tried to keep it all a secret. But with Ryan so close, he wanted it. To be kissed, to be held. To be loved again. It was so wrong but it felt so right.

Their lips touched, it was gentle as a flap of a butterfly’s wings and yet Ray’s heart started to pound. Ryan swiped his tongue across Ray’s lips, asking for entrance. Ray let him. Ryan explored Ray’s mouth and Ray tasted Ryan on his tongue. It tasted like mint. Ryan pulled away.

“Why are you crying?” Ryan’s face with plastered with concern. He reached out to wipe away the tears in Ray’s eyes. Ray did not know he started crying. It was really him this time, not the voices. He wanted the man of mystery, the possible enemy.

“Do you hate me?” Ray cried into the bed.

“What do you mean Ray?” Ryan brushed the hair out of Ray's face.

“I am gay, a freak. Do you hate me?” Ray admitted to Ryan, to himself.

“I literally just kissed you, Ray, what do you think?” Ryan pulled Ray into his embrace and patted Ray’s back.

“I do not need your sympathy. If you mean it, touch me.” Ray pulled out of Ryan’s embrace, although he was still facing the man above him. He hated feeling vulnerable.

“You asked for it then.” Ryan pulled Ray back into his embrace and kissed the crying man. Ryan’s kiss, this time, was hot and intense. They both wanted more.

They broke for air. _Fuck. Are we really doing this?_

Ryan trailed kisses down from Ray’s lips to his jawline and down to his neck. Ray moaned then stopped. He blushed.

“Moan for me,” Ryan whispered in his ear before nibbling on it. Ray felt himself grow harder.

Ryan slipped one hand underneath his shirt and the other in his pants. When Ryan started rubbing, Ray moaned again. He felt almost overstimulated, his neck was being attacked with kiss and bites, and Ryan was circling his nipple while rubbing hard against Ray’s hard cock.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Ryan, please.” Ray cried out, grinding his cock against Ryan’s hand.

“Please what Ray?” Ryan was clearly taking pleasure in it, watching Ray squirm. A grin wide across his face.

“Please touch me.” Ray was breathless and wanting more. Ryan stopped and quickly helped Ray take off his pants and underwear, watching his erect cock spring up from the fabric prison before pulling Ray up and placed him on his lap, back leaning against his chest.

Ray moaned wantonly when Ryan wrapped his hand around the already leaking cock.

“So hard for me huh?” Ryan’s gruff voice was filled with his own need. Ray could no longer speak, feeling himself melt into Ryan’s body.

His brain turned into a puddle, there was no need to think. Just to feel, and he felt amazing. It was a different feeling as compared to doing it yourself. He started to pump into Ryan’s hand in rhythm, building up the pace. Something was building up; he was close.

“Fuck, I cannot take it either.” Ryan licked Ray’s throat. Ray shuddered in response. There was a sharp sting at his throat where Ryan licked that further pushed him into his climax. Ryan started sucking at his throat while increasing his pace, pumping Ray’s throbbing cock hard and fast.

Ray came with a long drawn mewl of satisfaction. Ryan snickered in his ear.

 

 _Shit. He is a vampire._ Ray came to that understanding as he felt Ryan continue to suck on his throat. His mind was still fuzzy. _However, I do not think I really care._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First day of school of the new semester today. Urgh, so not interested. Instead of paying attention, I totally just wrote this chapter instead. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticism for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	6. Fallen Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Blood, Violence
> 
> Can I accept the truth that you have given me although we both know it is not the full truth?   
> Before I even think about that, are you the reason why I am going crazy?   
> Are you the reason why I have fallen down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD, VIOLENCE (in case you didn't see in the chapter summary)
> 
> Forgive me if the chapter isn't that great, I had to squeeze this one out pretty quick in the middle of class. 
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

The sound of furious keyboard clicking woke Ray up. The ceiling was creamy white, without the cracks of his normal ceiling. He was not in his house. Lying on a soft king size bed surrounded by a sea of blankets, he patted around to look for his phone.

“It is on the bedside table next to you,” The voice using the computer called out. Ray was still too tired to think. He just wanted to know what time it was. There was no light streaming from the windows, it was already night. Turning on his phone, he realised that he had multiple missed calls from his dad. It was 9pm; Ray had no curfew but usually, he would immediately head home from school and this time, he did not tell his dad that he would be out.

The figure playing video games got up and walked towards Ray. Ray needed to call Geoff immediately. Ryan sat down next to Ray and held him.

“How are you feeling? You slept for a long time,” Ryan explained. 

“Hold on, I need to call my father,” Ray quickly pulled up Geoff’s contact. Ray noticed that Ryan pulled out his phone and started typing in it. Texting a friend maybe. Ray had to remember to get Ryan’s number.

It was a curt phone call. Geoff was worried sick but understood that Ray was hanging out with a friend and not dead somewhere in a ditch. Geoff just asked that Ray would tell him earlier that he was out with a friend. Ray felt bad lying to his father about the truth. That he was out in a vampire’s house and that he engaged in sexual activity with a vampire.

“I am fine. Just lethargic,” Ray finally answered Ryan’s question. Ryan nodded and placed a feathery kiss on Ray’s forehead.

“I am sorry that I took that much blood. The food threw my body off.” Ryan apologised, holding Ray’s hand.

“You are a vampire,” Ray spoke to himself. He was unaware of what he was getting himself into, he just knew that he was attracted to the vampire who was holding him and his father might not be so keen on that happening.

“Yes, I am a vampire. If you recall, I did not actually answer you. I just ate to save my skin,” Ryan’s voice grew defensive. His body tensed up.

“Why?” Ray stroked Ryan’s thumb to calm him down.

“Your father, he kills vampires. I knew it was wrong but I liked you. I promised myself that I would just be friends with you. Then you touched me and all the rules were thrown out the window," Ryan tried to justify himself. There were parts of the story that felt incomplete, but then again, it was not as if Ray was telling the full truth.

“Well, I need to hide the bite marks. For sure,” Ray felt the bandages on his neck where Ryan bit him. Looks like Ryan already did that.

 _But then what happens now?_ Ray thought, saying nothing while leaning into Ryan’s embrace.

 _It is not just about the fact that Ryan was a vampire and I am okay with it. It is not just about how our relationship will move forward from here. I just need to know what even happens from this moment onwards._ Thoughts swirled around his mind as they continued to sit there.

“Perhaps you should leave soon?” Ryan suggested as if reading Ray’s mind. “Your father seemed worried.”

Ray nodded in agreement, still saying nothing. Still contemplating everything.

“Although, I do want you to stay here with me,” Ryan teased. Ray felt himself respond to that again. He was fully clothed; Ryan must have helped him dress up his wound and his exposed body. What a gentleman, he laughed.

“I guess I should go,” Ray’s voice was hesitant, but he was afraid of what else might happen. Everything was moving too fast. He would like to have some time to think about it and process what happened.

 

“Can I just get one thing straight?” Ray turned back to look at Ryan after leaving the door. Ryan could tell that he was serious.

“What do you need to get straight?” Ryan questioned, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“Are you the Mad King?” The atmosphere became heavy. The pause took too long.

“No,” A short reply emphasising the seriousness of the situation.

“Okay then,” Ray nodded in response. Ryan nodded back.

Ray turned back around and walked into the hallway, but before he could take another step, he felt his arm being pulled back.

“We are okay, right? Are you okay I mean? That I am a vampire?” Ryan’s eyes looked almost scared. Ray said nothing but leaned forward to kiss him. Ryan deepened the kiss.

“Does that answer your question?” Ray cracked a smile and lifted the mood that could crush a spirit. Ryan nodded enthusiastically with a smile on his face.

Ray walked back home.

 

 

As he walked towards the direction of the school, Ray noticed rustling sounds in the bushes. At first, he chalked it up to his imagination and his lethargy. He felt weak from the feeding earlier.

The sense of vertigo hit him like a ton of bricks; the floor seemed to wobble and became a lot more uneven than it really was. Although he felt woozy just standing up, he knew in his guts that it was not safe to stop there. He whipped out his phone and opened up Ryan’s contact and texted Ryan. "I feel dizzy, at the path to school," The phone vibrated in his hand immediately after that, "I will be there soon."

The bushes rustled again. Probably an animal, a squirrel maybe? Ray thought to himself. Stumbling down the path, Ray struggled to walk in a straight line. He probably looked drunk to anyone else who may have seen him. _Where are the people anyway?_ The question popped up in his mind before another rustle interrupted him again. This time, there were hisses. Ray turned back and looked.

Red eyes glowed, white fangs bared. There were a few of them. The group of them stalked forward, hissing at him. Vampires.

His legs moved faster than his body can keep up with, Ray fell forward. Behind him, the vampires mockingly laughed at him. The pounding of his heart drowned it out. Ray's fight or flight instincts kicked into high gear. Forcing himself to get up, he was ready to start running again and prayed Ryan would reach him soon.

Getting up, Ray saw them move. So quickly, they moved as if they were part of the shadows. They started moving around in a circle, trapping him.

"Trying to run, son of Geoff Ramsey?" A voice threatened from the moving shadows. The rest of them laughed. The sounds surrounded him. Much like the vampires.

Moving forward, a shadow rushed past him. The speed caused the wind to blow past his face. Something collided hard with his shin. At first, Ray thought that it was nothing. The sound of cracking rang out over the laughter. The sudden rush of excruciating pain shot up his spine. The throbbing of agony radiated from his leg. It was broken. Ray resisted the urge to cry out. He would not let them win. Although everything in him screamed to just stop, he forced himself to get up and keep going. Just needed to reach somewhere with people. The main road just a few more blocks down.

He forced himself up, grimacing at the effort it took. His broken leg protested and nearly gave out when he put his weight on it. He swallowed hard and took another step forward. The vampires mocked him even more.

"You think you are so strong then? Let us see how you fight back now," another voice snarled. Another shadow blew past him. 'You are dead,' it whispered in his ear before he felt another heavy impact against his other leg. This time, Ray cried out. The shooting pain incapacitating him. He looked at his leg; the bone was sticking out. Blood spewed out of the wound. The pain had not registered; he reached out to touch it, to confirm that it was real. Then it hit him. It hit him hard. With a bloodcurdling scream, he curled up into a ball as much as he could. The tears started to fall as he looked as the exposed bloody bone.

"What now?" The circling shadows were like vultures, ready to swoop in and starting feeding on his body. Ray, rather they just kill him.

"Not trying to run away anymore?" They howled with laughter. _I need to get help._ With the nails on his fingers, he dragged his body forward. His jutting bone brushed against the ground and Ray screamed in pure agony. A blood trail followed his path.

"Ah ah ah." A vampire stepped right on his fingers and bent down to look Ray right in the eyes. The red in the vampire's eyes instilled unadulterated fear in him. The vampire stood up and smiled widely at him, baring his sharp fangs before kicking Ray square in the stomach, sending Ray flying. They were toying with him.

Ray did not have to feel his chest to know that his ribs were at the very least bruised. Landing on the ground with a hard thud and rolled to a stop. His exposed bone was jostled around even more. Ray howled, scared to touch his broken leg. The taste of metal flowed up and he coughed it out.

Every beat of his heart hurt. His arms, his chest, his legs; it all hurt. He felt like a ragdoll in his video games being thrown around. A vampire squatted next to him and tilted his head up. Forcing a kiss, the vampire stuck his tongue in Ray's mouth, licking up the blood. Ray used whatever bit of strength he had left and bit the vampire’s tongue hard. The vampire reeled back.

“Feisty, I like it,” The vampire laughed. Another swift kick in the chest, forcing the wind out his body. The surroundings started to fade to black, and stars started appearing. Trying to take in some air, he choked down the blood that pooled in his mouth.

Ray had given up at this point, closing his eyes. It smelled of blood and death. And his death was imminent.

The vampires had crowded around him, sniffing his skin. The sting of jaws tearing into his flesh made him cry even harder. It was not the sensual feeling that he experienced with Ryan; it was hell. He felt his life drain away, losing the energy to even open his eyes.

 

“Enough,” Ray heard Ryan’s booming voice commanding the vampires to get away. The greedy mouths peeled off his skin like leeches being ripped off. Ray had no energy left to open his eyes. He heard faint hissing and punches being thrown. With a hard thump of a body landing next to him, Ray forced his eyes open, red eyes stared back, angry.

Just before Ray blacked out, he heard Ryan speak. It deeply concerned him; he was not even sure whether what he heard was real.

“I told you to hurt him, not kill him,” a vicious sneer. Then his eyes closed.  

 

 

“Sorry Ray, I did not arrive faster. I was bathing and I thought it was nothing serious.” Ryan’s voice was so faint. A whisper in his mind. His eyes were closed but there was a steady stream of bright light that streamed through his eyelids, then shadows cast by the people moving around him. 

“Blood pressure and breathing are dropping rapidly!” Voices frantically yelling information at another person. “Patient almost has no heartbeat!”

“We need to restart the heart!” More voices called. It was starting to fade to oblivion.

Ray felt his body jump from the shock and he was pulled back into the murky depths.

 

The noises all suddenly stopped and everything went blank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been juggling school, extracurricular activities and my part time job. I have been dying recently.   
> BUT, I am determined to continue this story! So the updates will be really slow. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!   
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticisms for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	7. Eyes Closed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You cannot imagine the things people say and do when they think no one is looking or listening.  
> The thing is, though, am I really listening or is this all just a bad dream?  
> What really happens when my eyes are closed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, sorry. 
> 
> I had something already planned for this chapter but then I did not like how it was and then, in the end, this is what happens. Why is writing so difficult? 
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

In between bouts of consciousness and the darkness that wanted him, Ray heard talking. It was not his parents. It was a man and woman talking, yes, but the man he knew and the woman he did not know. They were both very close to him, next to his bed talking to each other.

“This is not part of the deal,” the woman’s voice was alarmed and sounded displeased. It sounded like a voice Ray knew from another life.

“Patience my dear, this is all a part of the big plan,” Ryan’s voice was calm and collected as always.

“He is in a coma, has been for a week! If he does not wake up!” the woman raised her voice, it sounded distressed. “If he does not wake up, I will die.”

“Be calm, he will wake up. This one is a fighter,” Ray could almost hear the smirk in Ryan’s voice.

“He had better. I refuse to let go again like this,” the anger was fleeting and turned to a tune of sadness. Speaking as if she lost what was most precious to her. Who was this woman?

“I have business to attend to. Particularly cleaning out the trash within the ranks who hurt Ray,” Ryan’s voice faded off slowly but Ray heard no footsteps.

There was no other reply, the room was quiet again, save from the beeping of the machines. His head hurt from focusing on the conversation for too long and everything went blank again.

 

A door opened and footsteps followed.

 “Geoff, the other boy, the one in the same class as Ray, how is he?” Griffon voiced a question to Geoff who was probably there in the room as well. Their voices felt muffled in Ray’s mind, they were probably across the room. His eyes would not open but he could hear. Slightly.

“Michael Vincent Jones survived with minor injuries. He is in the room just down the hall, 313. Slight bruising on his ribs, and a really bad black eye. The kid was tough, survived an attack by The Mad King,” Geoff chuckled at the end. Ray could tell it was faked. His voice was too tense, stressed out. The attacks have been getting a lot worse recently and it seems like Ray himself was one of the statistics.

“What happened?” Griffon’s voice was weary. Griffon cared a lot about everyone, she was so nice and sweet; did not deserve this. First her son, now the rest of the town.

“Kid did not remember much, could only mutter something about red eyes. Said he and his date, the British kid were out in Michael’s car, overlooking the city at that one spot. You know what they do up there. The door was ripped open and they were pulled out. Threw himself on in front of the Brit and pulled out a stake,” Geoff took a breath. Ray remembered how weird the stake felt in his hands. The firm wood and smooth polish against his hand. It would have been a good weapon to fight his attackers with; he could only imagine the shattered bottle of holy water in his bag. “Stabbed the vampire right in the kidney.”

“Poor little boy, at least he and his boyfriend are safe. What can he remember about the attacker? Maybe with that information, you could find the son of a bitch and kill them,” the steel in Griffon’s voice could make a lesser man tremble. She was angry, understandable. Ray was angry too. Lives are being unnecessarily ended.

“Nothing. Just something about red eyes and a smirk. He kept repeating the red eyes and the smirk the vampire had until he passed out,” Geoff’s voice grew louder, he was moving closer towards Ray. More footsteps followed, presumably Griffon.

“Find him,” Griffon brushed the hair off Ray’s forehead. He still felt numb, almost like his soul was there but not connected to his body but he was gaining control of his body.

“I will,” Geoff’s voice was determined.

_Red eyes and a smirk, so familiar._

The darkness enveloped his mind again and he no longer heard talking.

 

Ray’s body was being moved, it was shaking from side to side.

The fog in his mind cleared. A voice frantically called out to him but everything was still so muffled and his eyes refused to open.

“Wake up before he comes for you, wake up,” fear mixed with breathlessness made it harder for Ray to understand what the person was saying.

“Ray, wake up. It is me, Michael,” the voice continued shaking him gently. Ray forced his eyes open. They barely cracked open at first.

“Ray, quickly, I need to warn you before he comes,” Michael continued shaking, tone growing even more urgent.

Ray blinked several times and his eyes finally opened. Mercifully, it was not light out. The room was shrouded in a deep black, only cut by streams of moonlight from the open window in his hospital room. His eyes hurt but he focused on Michael’s face. Even in the pale moonlight, he saw the freckles that were scattered on his face and the curly mop of red that looked dishevelled. Michael was still talking but Ray heard nothing. He closed his eyes to focus on Michael’s words.

“The Mad King, Ray, The Mad King is coming,” Michael’s words were damning and terrifying. The beeping from the machines quickened in pace.

“Beware the red eyes and the smirk, he will kill you just like he tried to kill me,” the warning was clear and only a fool would ignore that. “I need to leave now Ray, return to my room. The chill has come back, he is coming soon.”

Michael sounded crazy but Ray knew what he was speaking was true. The door opened and Ray heard Michael shuffle out. A soon as the door clicked shut, Ray felt a gust of wind move past him. The window was closed, though. As much as his eyes hurt when he tried to open them, Ray did it.

Red eyes and a smirk. He forced his eyes closed.

“I am so glad to see you are awake,” the voice was so familiar but Ray refused to acknowledge it was the person he thought it was.

Ray cleared his throat; he wanted to speak. It felt like sandpaper grating against his throat.

“Are you The Mad King?” Ray’s voice was hoarse, almost sounded like he was speaking with a mouthful of cotton balls. It hurt to speak. He tried to swallow again. It hurt even more.

“Look at me Ray,” the voice was so persuasive. It called out to his very soul. Ray knew it was a bad sign. He stared in glowing red eyes and a smirk.

“You know what you know,” it confirmed what Michael said, what Geoff talked about.

“You know you cannot stay away though,” a dry chuckle escaped Ryan’s lips.

“You will forget all of this, fall in love with me and do everything I want you to do in time,” the red in Ryan’s eyes started swirling.

“I will forget all of this, fall in love with you and do everything you want me to do in time,” it was no longer truly him speaking, but it was going to be.

Ray’s eyes closed and everything faded away like an awful dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jeez, sorry, this chapter took too long, I have been so busy with work and school. It has only been two weeks into school and I am already so done with it.
> 
> Do not expect chapters to be released really quickly, it might only get slower from here. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticism for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	8. What He Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being awake might be a miracle but the mystery continues to grow thicker. It seems that the shaking Gavin knew things about the situation that I do not. He wants to tell me but at the same time, I know he is afraid. With his knowledge, I might just be able to figure out what is up with my fragmented memories and this whole situation. 
> 
> I need to know what he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have eye bags like pandas, but finally here is the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, I wish I could get this out earlier.  
> If this does not fit into the story, though, I am so sorry, I am literally falling asleep as I am writing nowadays. I will look through and edit it again if it does not live up to expectations. 
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

The doctors hovered over him, shining lights into Ray’s eyes and asking him if he was fine. There were police officers lingering around, waiting for the doctors to finish their check on the poor broken boy lying on the uncomfortable bed. Familiar faces also stood at the side, his parents and a shaking British teenager.

“How are you feeling Ray?” A doctor with a sweet voice asked, her eyes were blue and her hair a soft blonde colour. As lovely as she seemed, the deep frown made her look much more serious and tired than he thought.

“Fine, I am pretty sure I am hopped up on some really heavy drugs, so that helps,” Ray cracked a joke. She smiled and nodded.

“You just woke up and we had to do so many tests on you, I hope you do not mind,” Dr. Ashley Jenkins, the name tag stated. The frown did not seem to dig as deep into her face. He concluded that she was the doctor in charge of him.

“Give me the damage report doc,” Ray felt his palms sweat as she was staring at the clip broad she had on hand.

“In the time that you were out, we managed to get your right leg securely together. You sustained an open fracture wound on your tibia but we managed to get you to the hospital in time to close it back up and help it on its journey to get it united back to the bone. Your left leg had a more simple fracture, easier to manage, faster to heal. Maybe eight weeks compared to the estimated six months of your other leg. Most of your ribs were bruised; two of your lower left ribs were broken. Simple fractures. Usually broken ribs, we cannot do much but hook you up with good painkillers and hope it heals quickly,” The doctor took a breath before finishing. “Also, you are recovering from a punch to your face. We got your nose back to where it should be and iced it. You should make a full recovery in half a year.”

“Thank God for that,” Griffon’s weary voice concluded the entire speech. Geoff nodded and put an arm around her shoulders.

“When can I leave the hospital?” Ray’s throat felt like someone rubbed sandpaper on it. He was not supposed to drink too much water; water retention would hurt the recovery. He used to think that water retention led to bloating and that was the worst of it.

“Two days,” Dr. Jenkins patted him on the shoulder, the only place on him that was not injured or bandaged. He was surprised that they would let him out so quickly, but then he remembered that he was in the hospital for two weeks. All the surgeries were done; it was just a matter of recovering and hoping there are no complications.

 

The sweet doctor and nurses stopped walking in and out; the tests were all done. Blood pressure, responsiveness, amnesia, the works.

The police came in and asked their questions. The usual, do you have any enemies who would do that to you, any suspicious people before your attack, the boring questions. Griffon came to his rescue, confirming that he was a quiet person, never made enemies. The last few made him sweat a bit, but he remained calm. They were asking about Ryan’s involvement. Talking about how Ryan was a vampire and that he pulled the vampires off him was not on the list. Ray lied, knowing that it was a crime to do so. Said that he felt uncomfortable on the walk home and texted Ryan, that part was still true. He just lied and said that a gang of drunkards attacked him and he could not fight back. They seemed satisfied with the answer.

“Was the attack by vampires?” the last question threw him. Ray looked at the non-threatening police officer. He looked young, unprepared. In his peripheral vision, he saw Geoff shake his head.

“No,” he shook his head. It was a simple fact not to get the police involved with the vampires, leave it to the hunters.

Ray let out a sigh as they moved on to question the doctors, ask if he had any signs of amnesia that would affect the validity of the statement. His parents sat at the side, whispering to each other. Geoff looked unhappy but Griffon looked amused. It was nice to see Griffon smile.

 

“Hey,” a whisper drew Ray’s attention. It was Gavin Free, standing by the side of the bed. Ray could see his palms tremble ever so slightly.

“Hi Gavin, are you here to see Michael?” Blurry memories of his parents talking about Michael in the hospital played. The Brit shook his head.

“I was just here to see you, on behalf of Michael as well. Also, dropping you off parts of the homework, the rest is with…” Gavin paused and took a deep breath. “The rest is with Ryan Haywood.”

“Well, thanks, Gavin. It seems like I am fine, I will be making a full recovery in about half a year,” Ray beamed, trying to break the tension. Gavin’s lips lifted and he opened his mouth.

“There is something you should know,” Gavin started and his eyes darted around the room. “Something about the accident you had, that Michael was involved in.” Ray perked up, eyes wide and waiting for Gavin to continue.

“Hello Gavin, sweetie,” Griffon called out. Gavin stared at Griffon with blank eyes. He nodded and looked back at Ray. The blank eyes were now filled with fear.

“Another time then,” Gavin barely muttered out and slinked away.

“That was strange,” Griffon pointed out. It was. Just what did the Brit know? “Why did he come? Michael was released last week.”

“To drop me off some homework,” Ray pointed out at the stack of work on his lightly bandaged torso. “The world still continues on even when I am asleep, unfortunately.”

“I would think that boy, Ryan was it, would have come instead? He has been visiting you every day since the accident,” she threw him a knowing look and smiled. “Anything to tell me about this Ryan?”

“Nothing right now, not even sure what it is,” Ray grinned sheepishly. He knew not to breathe a word about his potential boyfriend being a vampire. In addition to possibly being the same vampire who orchestrated this entire thing. The memory of Ryan’s harsh voice commanding the vampires to stop just before he passed out remained etched on his mind.

“So it is something then?” She dug deeper, a wide smile on her face. He nodded, shifting so that the pillow would cover his burning cheeks. “You should maybe say something to your dad, though, Geoff is not liking the prospects that his little boy is being taken away from him.”

From under the pillow, he heard the muffled footsteps of Griffon moving away from him and then soft whispers to Geoff. Ray moved the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Amongst the relief of being alive and relatively in one piece, there were stirrings of fear and unease. He looked back at his parents talking to each other. Then it hit him. He had to keep everything a secret. At least until he figured out what was happening. Or maybe not.

 

* * *

 

 

 

There were many reactions when everyone saw Ray walk into class, many of the teachers acknowledged his presence and wished him a speedy recovery. Ironic to him really. Ray was relegated to moving around on a wheelchair, generally being slow and blocked the path. Burnie Burns was one of the teachers who did not care about the attack and asked that he completed the homework as soon as he could to catch up with the rest. Ray smiled, knowing that everything was, as it seemed.

The rest of the class would stare at him but he could not be bothered with them, he was looking for someone else who was not there. Ryan Haywood. Where was he? If what Griffon said was true, Ryan should have been there when he woke up; should have been there during the three days before he was discharged; should have been there when he was discharged. There was no trace of the mysterious vampire love interest cum possible enemy.

“So sorry,” Ray apologised meekly after hitting another person’s shin with his wheelchair. It was hard getting used to the controls on the wheelchair. He insisted on going back to school immediately after being discharged although his parents told him to rest. _Too much to catch on mom, and do not worry dad, I will be more careful this time while you find the vampires who did this to me._ Griffon was unconvinced and Geoff was basically barricaded the door but Ray basically pushed his way out. He had other reasons why he wanted to be out. _Ryan._

“Hey Ray, so deep in thought,” a familiar voice called out while Ray scanned the hallway. It was not crowded per se but there was always groups moving around. The class just ended for him and he wanted to find Ryan before the next class started. For what reason he did not know, he just knew he wanted to see the vampire. To be close to him.

“Ray, I am talking to you, you know,” Ray finally looked up and saw Michael standing in front of him. The lanky Brit closely standing by his side.  

“Sorry, I was just looking for someone,” Ray shook his head when he did not see the man he wanted to find.

“Ryan right? Gavin told me I had something I wanted to tell you. What was it again?” Michael turned to Gavin. The Brit whispered in Michael’s ear and Michael looked so confused.

“Gavin told you that you had something to tell me? That sounds wrong. Would it not be that you have something to say to me?” Ray asked, confused at the choice of words.

“Yeah, about the attack. He suspects it was committed by the same person, just that I came out a lot more fortunate than you, no offense,” Michael looked sheepish has he looked at how bandaged the wheelchair-bound boy was. Ray waved it off. He knew he was lucky he was even alive. “I do not remember much, the doctor says that temporary amnesia is common with the kind of head trauma that I suffered. The main thing that I do remember are the red eyes and a cruel smirk.”

“Nothing else? Just red eyes and a smirk right?” Ray stared up at Michael’s face. They remembered the same thing. Gavin started shaking and turned whiter than a sheet. His eyes stared above Ray. Ray turned around.

It was Ryan Haywood, striding forward towards them.

“Hey Ray,” Ryan placed a gentle hand on Ray’s cheek. Looking up, he nodded at the other two; his eyes lingered just a little too long on Gavin though. “Michael, Gavin.”

“Where were you?” Ray asked, noting that he sounded whiny and pathetic and tried to calm himself down. He happened to catch a small rip on Ryan’s shirt when he looked down at his feet.

“Taking care of business, sorry I did not make time to see you before you were discharged,” Ryan kneeled down and they were on the same eye level.

“Okay,” Ray looked away, as much as he could anyway. “Look, Michael, Gavin, I will talk to you later? Thank you for passing me the homework Gavin.”

“What were you talking about?” Ryan commanded his attention. As Ray stared into Ryan’s deep sea blue eyes, he could not help but to remember glowing red eyes stare back at him.

“Nothing at all,” Ray lied, willing himself not to give it away. Ray knew Gavin knew what was going on, and he had to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really slow to edit and I apologise again. I really cannot help it at this time, school has been taking up so much of my time that it is crazy. Whatever time I have left, I use it to catch up on sleep. I wish I could post more regularly but at this point, I just cannot. I really have to apologise for it.   
> Otherwise, just let me know what you think about this chapter and the story in general. Comments keep me motivated to keep writing and thank you for so many comments encouraging me and this story so far!
> 
> Thank you for reading!   
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticisms for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


	9. The Unravelling of The Web

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatever mystery I was caught up in is slowly starting to reveal its truth. Sometimes, the truth is scarier than you would imagine. It was still the truth and it was better than knowing nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here come dat boi.   
> Yeah, I am literally so sorry this took forever to come out. I just finished my exam today, so this is the first thing I did. I finished writing the chapter I have been working on for like, one month. I hope it is not as bad as I think it is. Hopefully, this is fine?
> 
> I hope you do enjoy reading this chapter!  
> Do leave me your opinions and constructive criticism about the story for me.

“Come over,” Ryan’s voice was low and what he was saying enticed Ray. However, he could not. It was still too risky and he was afraid. Being alone with a vampire, even though this vampire was different, made Ray feel uncomfortable. His hair raised at the prospect. Ray figured that the attack did leave some mental scars too.

“Not today, sorry,” Ray shook his head, finding it hard to say no to Ryan. Ryan’s eyes looked like the turbulent sea, he was not happy with the rejection. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. Ray watched quietly.

“But perhaps you could come home with me for a while? I do need help catching up on classes,” his voice quivered. It was hard to understand what he really wanted; just that he for some reason wanted to be with Ryan but he knew he should not be with him. Ryan just nodded with a small smile on his lips.

Gavin and Michael were walking away and Gavin turned around, his eyes wide with fear. Ray really needed to know what Gavin was so terrified about. For now, Ray chalked it up to paranoia, easier to do that than to speculate wildly about something he did not know.

The day passed by without incident, not in school or with The Mad King. Ray continued to hear murmurs of pity as he wheeled himself around the hallways, speculation about the relationship between him and Ryan, talk of The Mad King. The last of which were spoken with hush, fearful tones. A deep fear, similar to that of Gavin’s. Reports that about 50 people were already killed, with there being no connection between victim to victim. It was just a random slaughter. Ray also felt fear.

As he laughed at something inconsequential that Ryan said while Ryan pushed him down the same hallway that that first girl was found, the day Ray suspected that Ryan was The Mad King who started this, he could not help but to wonder again, was Ryan The Mad King?

 

* * *

 

 

The tone that Geoff used while Ray phoned him was weary, as he agreed to allow Ryan to come over to the house. Rarely brings friends over, Geoff mentioned, Ray could not help but to agree. Ryan shrugged at the news as if he knew he would be allowed to. They reached the threshold of the property and Ryan stopped wheeling Ray. Ray spun around to look at the blond.

“I need to be invited in?” Ryan flashed his long canines to Ray, eyes glinting red. A deadpan look on his face, _was he being serious about this?_ Ray wondered.

“Are you for real?” Ray asked, unbelieving. “You are welcome in, though.”

“Well.” A slight chuckle from the blond as he put a foot into the threshold. “Manners are not dead, right? Although I must say, humans still do not know much about the vampire culture. We walk where we please.”

Ray found it hard to understand the inner workings of this man he had feeling for though he did crack a smile at the age-old joke.

Geoff has just left his workroom, a newspaper in his hand. Geoff always looked tired now; his frown was a constant. Ray was worried and wanted The Mad King to be gone to see his father smile again. It was hard to see the man he admired struggling like that. He eyed Ryan again.

“Hello Geoff, how has your investigation been?” Ray wheeled over to his father who continued to stand at the door, reading the newspaper report. A pat on his shoulders was all Ray could offer unless he wanted to risk breaking his bones again to hug the man.

“Hello, Mr. Ramsey,” Ryan nodded and smiled cordially at Geoff. Geoff nodded back, an indiscernible look on his face.

“Hello again Ryan, thank you for taking care of my son at the hospital,” a clipped voice for a polite response. “And Ray, how has your day been?”

“Yeah dad, it was fine,” Ray knew that he was deflecting, not wanting to say more in front of Ryan. “Hey Ryan, is it okay if I spoke to my dad alone first?”

Ryan took a seat on the couch, placing his bag gingerly on the floor. Ray wheeled himself into Geoff’s workroom and Geoff started to speak. _I wonder if Ryan can hear through walls, I guess he will say something about it later. This does affect the whole vampire race._

“We found piles of burning bodies out in the clearing in the woods,” Geoff took a pause, almost as if in dramatic fashion. “Vampire bodies.”

“So one of you did it?” Ray was confused, why Geoff still looked so anxious. Why were there even burning vampire bodies in the first place? Geoff shook his head.

“That is the thing; it was not one of us. We would have filed in reports, served the whole bureaucratic thing we have with the town and all. Even the police did not know this was taking place,” Geoff sighed. Ray knew why.

“So it would either be a human who was not a vampire hunter or a vampire themselves doing this. If a human, why these vampires and will they strike again hurting more vampires who may be innocent? If a vampire, why betray their own kind?” Ray speculated and Geoff nodded in agreement. Either way, it was a dangerous affair.

“We have quite a few pieces of evidence,” Geoff motioned towards the desk where there was a pile of pictures and such. “Some phones from the vampires were strewn around the scene. We can possibly try to crack them to get information inside. There were some photos of the road up to the main scenic spot near the vampires of cars. They also could be possible leads.”

Ray nodded; there was nothing to add. As he surveyed the pile, he noticed something small and red poking out the pictures and paper. It was a small patch of fabric. The same patch as the one in Ryan’s shirt. He felt his eyes widen and he fought not to gasp aloud.

“We could find The Mad King with this. We need to,” Geoff’s voice was serious again.

“Try not to overexert yourself, dad, you have been recently,” Ray tried to divert Geoff’s attention away from the pile. It seemed untouched so Ray assumed that Geoff did not see the fabric yet.

Ray wheeled himself over to the table, and while picking up a picture, he quickly pulled the fabric out from the stack and stuffed it in his pocket. The picture was of low quality. Security cameras are not known for their great qualities anyway. Ray knew however, it was Michael and Gavin walking towards the forest away from the scenic view of the city. He really had to speak to them, especially Gavin.

“I should go out, talk to Ryan,” Ray was almost out the door when Geoff stopped him.

“You really need to tell me about you and Ryan soon,” Geoff cracked a real smile for once and Ray smiled back. His smile wavered but he quickly left.

 

Ryan looked up to from his phone to see Ray. Ray motioned to follow him without saying a word; it was hard to describe what he was feeling. There was anger, but there was also fear. Ray wheeled himself into his room, with Ryan following behind closely.

“What the fuck?” Ray chose his words carefully as he spit them out at Ryan. Ryan clearly looked taken aback.

“I need to know more about what I did wrong?” Ryan looked uncomfortable being confronted. Ray doubted he had ever been like this before.

“I found this in the evidence of the vampires that were burnt,” Ray pulled out the fabric he had been gripping in his pocket. “This is a patch ripped from your shirt.”

“Oh, yeah, the vampire burning incident,” Ryan sat down on Ray’s bed and waved it off as if it were just an afterthought, unimportant. “Hopefully, the remaining evidence at the scene helps your father and his friends catch more of these heretic vampires.”

“What do you mean?” Ray hissed through clenched teeth. Ryan was being too cavalier about the situation. “Clearly, you had something to do with it. With my attacks, even.”

“The vampires at the forest, yes. Those vampires attacked you; you nearly died in my arms. Clearly violating the code made with the humans. Not to hurt them. So I killed those bastards I could find and left enough traces to find the rest of the ones I could not get to,” Ryan’s gaze was hard as steel. “But whatever do you mean about your attacks.”

“You were the one who ordered the hit on me. I heard you bellow at them for nearly killing me instead of just hurting me,” Ray burst out with what had been bothering him. He knew that his memory was not to be trusted but he knew at least that.

“Well, you heard wrong. I have feelings for you Ray, why would I try to kill you?” Ryan waved his hands. “You sure it was not just something you made up?”

Ray’s mind felt funny. His memories felt all fake again and that scene felt fake. _It was fake, I guess._  

“I guess trauma might be a real thing that I am facing,” Ray shrugged but he caught a small sigh of relief from the vampire.

“Why protect me?” Ryan gently caressed Ray’s cheek and made him turn and face Ryan’s gentle stare.

“I care about you, deeply,” Ray whispered then looked away as he felt heat travel up to his face. “As a friend.”

“Just a friend?” Ryan chuckled. Soft fingertips brushed against Ray’s face again. He turned to face Ryan. He could feel hot breath on his tongue as Ryan’s face moved closer to his own. He closed his eyes. They kissed.

_Well, shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologise for this nonsense. Will not say it will not happen again but I will try to release more often now? Please let me now what you feel about this new chapter!
> 
> Thank you for reading!   
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticism for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!

**Author's Note:**

> Something to mention, I was inspired to write this story after listening to the song 'Fangz' by The Ready Set. I love that band so be sure to give it a listen when you read this story. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!   
> Forgive me if there are any spelling/grammar errors, do leave comments and constructive criticisms for me!  
> Please let me know if you like what you're reading by leaving me a kudos and a comment!


End file.
